sustainability

Traditionally, April and May mark the busiest months of year for our Sustainability team, which is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility Team (CSR). Yes, there is the obvious Earth Day celebration that takes place during that time, but I want to share some of the highlights from the last six weeks on what the team is working on here at Rackspace:

The New Year has greeted Rackspace with some great, green news. For the second consecutive year, Rackspace has been named an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner and featured on the Top 30 Tech & Telecom List.

Feedback is a gift–we believe it’s how we get better. Today Rackspace received valuable feedback (and all around exciting news) on our journey to “build a better planet.” For the second consecutive year, Rackspace is included as member on the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index (DJSI). The DJSI is an internationally-recognized, independent benchmark that sets the standard for sustainable business performance.

Rackspace’s commitment to meeting its Global Energy Policy starts at home. And today, political, business and civic leaders will gather for “Keeping It Clean: Our Air, Our Health” at Rackspace’s Castle headquarters for a frank and necessary discussion about air quality in the San Antonio region.

As part of our Earth Day celebration, we’re launching Responsibility.Rackspace.com. We want to highlight the “prosperity with purpose” created by our business model of Fanatical Support, which reflects our holistic approach and belief that business, people and the environment are inextricably linked.

Most things in life require energy. From the refrigerator and the microwave to the iPhone and the iPad; nearly everything we touch uses some form of embedded energy. Cloud computing is no different, except in one crucial respect: it’s the most efficient — and energy-efficient — form of computing yet invented.

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce has recognized the Rackspace Austin office for excellence in the “Environment” category of the 2012 Greater Austin Business Awards. We received the award, which was presented Thursday, August 30, for encouraging green behavior in the workplace and demonstrating commitment to environmental responsibility benefitting Rackers and the community.

Living, as I do, in the middle of a country famed for its wilderness and clean green environment, I’ve always had an interest in environmental issues. Working within an industry that is one of the single biggest consumers of energy has made me interested in learning how that consumption can be made more efficient. And being a big geek and former electrician, I’ve always been interested in the technology that powers our everyday use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.